Class of 2015 President Taylor Leigh Gombar is a woman who gets things done. “Collaboratively the council and I have created a class Facebook page, a class Moodle page (updated weekly), extended library hours, enforced a larger print quota, and held a Sled Riding/Super Bowl party. We facilitated The Vagina Monologues and tabled at Walk for Congo Women events. We created CSG awareness through T-shirts, partnered with residence life to collect donations for the Salvation Army, as well as won the B.O.T.C. window painting event!” And that was only her first year in office.
Gombar started the fall semester as Vice President of her class. “Due to unforeseen circumstances,” she says, “I was promoted to the Class of 2015 Presidential position in the spring of 2012.” The Greensburg native advises incoming students that a first year position on CSG can be challenging. “Truthfully,” she says, “the first semester in Chatham’s Student Government will be the most hectic, bewildering, and emotionally straining experience.” Luckily, she adds, “NO WORRIES, after you ball your eyes out while attempting to organize Battle of the Classes (while receiving the cold shoulder from upperclassmen) you realize that all along you were never alone. Your classmates, your ‘sisters,’ were standing right next to you during laughter, tears, and absurd outbursts of Spice Girl tunes. So please, please, please do not give up! We have all been there and done that, girlfriend!”
Now that she’s been initiated into the CSG sisterhood, Gombar led a successful campaign for reelection; she’ll be President of the Class of 2015 next year, too. “I aspire to improve class involvement in events,” she says. “I promise to continue to expand our Class of 2015 sisterhood, engage in developmental changes, all the while preserving the 3 key pillars of Chatham.” Gombar’s track record shows that she’s definitely good at keeping promises. “Observing the change you have assisted in facilitating within the Chatham community is honestly the most exhilarating feeling,” she says. “That feeling of accomplishment has driven me to continue aiding in the improvement of the lives of my sisters and their ‘10-month home.’”
In addition to her presidential commitment, Gombar is involved with plenty of other on-campus organizations. “I am the Chairwoman of the Residence Hall Adhoc committee, executive advisor for Chatham’s Undergraduate Budget Committee, The Vagina Monologues event coordinator, active member in Feminist Activists Creating Equality, Chatham’s Activity Board, ‘Two Wheels not Four,’ Her Campus Chatham, and a graphic designer for numerous events on campus.” Bonus? She’s a “diva singer (on the side).” Even with that wild number of commitments, Gombar gives involvement in CSG serious weight in shaping her Chatham experience. When asked about her favorite part of being involved in student government, the answer comes easily: “Of course the bonds I have made between my fellow classmates! If I were not involved in CSG I would have never known that Cali loves Fall Out Boy, Megan Small is an active member in SASO (Students Against Sexual Oppression), nor would I know that Emily Schmidt is a master at drawing Shaggy and Scooby!”
Even with all that she’s done, Gombar is still gratefully thinking of the women who got her to where she is: “My achieved success is only made possible with the assistance of my class council and inspiring class sisters. Thank you all!”